BraBlah

So you've dished out the big bucks and bought yourself a new sports bra. To ensure you get your monies worth you need to look after it.

Step 1: Close the clasp of the bra. If you leave the clasp open the little hooks have a tendency to get caught in the fabric of the bra or on other items in the wash.

Step 2: Check the sewn in garment label for care information, sometimes this information is also printed directly onto the bra fabric. Always follow the care instructions for best results. We recommend to hand wash all wire bras.

Step 3: Always use a lingerie bag when you wash your bra in the washing machine. Lingerie bags are made of net fabric and usually have a zipper to close the bag. The use of a lingerie bag will prevent snagging and you can wash the bra with other items in your washing machine. Look out for your free lingerie bag when you shop with us regularly.

Step 4: Wash the bra in cold or warm water on the gentle cycle in the washing machine. When you wash the bra with other items, make sure the colours of the other items are compatible. In addition, pay attention to the fabric weight. Wash the bra with items that have a similar fabric weight. Do not wash a bra with towels and jeans since they are much heavier than a bra.

Step 5: Remove the bra from the lingerie bag and open up the clasp. If the bra is molded or padded, reshape the bra to its original shape.

Step 6: No matter if you hand wash or machine wash, always hang the bra on a rack or clothes line to air dry. Never put a bra in the dryer, since the heat of the dryer will damage the elastic fabrics in a bra.

What style of sports bra do you preferred?Do you prefer no underwire?Padding?Racerback? Back or front closure? Compared to running our arm position is different ie gripping the handlebars, so often lower armholes work better. Ditto with fabric, I love the Enell LITE and the Freya Soft Cup Crop Top sports bras as the fabric is soft and moisture wicking.

Bands and StrapsThe band is responsible for 80% to 90% of the support of the bra. It should fit comfortably around your torso, parallel to the floor. The band should be snug but you should be able to slide two fingers between the band and your skin. The band should never ride up toward your shoulders.

Straps are responsible for only 10% to 20% of the bra support, their primary function is to even or level the bra. They should stay in place without digging into your shoulders.

The racer back style of strap is becoming increasingly popular and does allow for a good range of motion. If you’re in the saddle for hours at a time, the pressure of having a clip behind your neck to create the racer back style can cause both shoulder and neck pain. This is fine if you’re out on a short ride, but if you’re tackling a century and are in the saddle for hours, it might be best to opt for the traditional scoop style straps or the Enell Racerback.

Women with larger busts should look for wider bands that help distribute the weight better and provide more comfortable support.

For any active woman, a good supportive sports bra is crucial to a high impact workout. However, finding said supportive sports bras for big boobs ain't always easy. There's nothing more distracting than your otherwise fabulous boobs getting in the way. Or worse, hurting during your jog or workout. That's why proper support is a must when it comes to the perfect sports bra.

You choose your level of support and customise your rib fit - it truly is fully adjustable. The shoulder straps are convertible, allowing you to choose X-Back or H-Back configuration. The flexibility of the Shefit Sports Bra ensures you will not only be comfortable but fully supported.

Designed for maximum performance for well endowed women that includes adjustable straps, racerback option and encapsulation styling which means no uni-boob. The moulded crop top sports bra offers full coverage (bye bye nipple show through) complete with odour management fabric and mesh panels for cool comfort.

The three-inch-wide elasticised band is covered in soft, breathable fabric and fastened with three rows of hook and eye closures, giving you plenty of sizing options. Simply pop over your existing bra for compression style support.

Nearly one in five women say their breasts stop them from participating in physical activity, research from the University of Portsmouth’s Research Group in Breast Health reveals.

The research also found that physical activity levels weren’t influenced by breast size, which suggests the breast could be a barrier to exercise for women across all bra sizes.

Breasts were ranked fourth as a barrier to exercise after lack of energy, time constraints and health reasons. They were ranked above other barriers including cost of exercise, access to facilities, not having the right clothing, not having any company whilst exercising, and feeling embarrassed about doing sport.

The most influential factors preventing women from taking exercise include not being able to find the right sports bra and being embarrassed by excessive breast movement.

We’ve written a lot on the topic of finding the right type of sports bra that works for you - check out Sports Bra Fitting Tips or just send me an email sportsbra@sportsbra.co.nz and we can help get you into the best sports bra.

I have never had an easy relationship with my bosoms. And it is at its most uneasy when I’m doing exercise. For many years, I avoided exercise altogether for fear of too much bounce and jiggle.

These days, I’ve solved the problem with the double bra. As I failed generally to find a sports bra that did the job and stayed the distance. Even those expensive ones with so much promise started to sag on me after a few washes. And let’s face it, who has the time to hand wash sports gear.

Two sports bras worn simultaneously will, for the most part, keep things under control. However, it’s not the most comfy as it can pinch and grappling with two lots of fixings when you have sleepy morning fingers and you just want to get it over with is tiresome.

I go for a fairly sedate jog first thing every other morning. I’m out early because that way I don’t give myself time to make excuses and I prefer the cover of darkness. I also need sports bras for hill walking, skiing, really brisk walking and very occasional (and almost certainly ill-advised) trips to trampoline parks. In short, there are times when I want my boobs to be under control.

I was sent the Enell Sports Bra in rock it red.

If you’ve ever been sailing, you might be familiar with a storm jib. This is a strong, brightly coloured sail that will not let you down in extreme conditions. Designed with unashamed functionality rather than grace.

Enell is the storm jib of the lingerie world. It is firm, shiny and has lots of hooks and eyes down the front. It’s not too much of a struggle to put it on and feels instantly “gripping” though not uncomfortable.

An experimental bounce revealed an impressive lack of movement in any direction.

Enell does give you something of a monoboob, but, I suppose, there’s some compensation in the fact that the monoboob is, at least, unashamedly red and shining!

When I ran, I was very comfortable, no chafing at the shoulders or anywhere else. After a couple of weeks, the bra washed and dried (tumble dried, so what!) well and still looks new.

I would recommend this bra to anyone who struggles to find proper comfort and support. It’s not really a thing of elegance, but it does do the job. (Yes, yes. Same could be said of me, I know.) Neither is it cheap, although it appears to be fairly durable (like a LandRover).

I started learning yoga about five years ago, thanks to the patience of my gorgeous teacher Ush who never laughed when my Tree pose was more like a falling tree! And my Bridge pose would often collapse!

Being a F cup girl, my poses weren’t the only things that needed adjusting. I found my high impact sports bras that worked well for running and boxing didn’t give me the flexibility and movement that Yoga requires.

Enter the Enell LITE - the perfect sports bra for low to medium impact activities such as Yoga.

First the obvious, I have a big bust and it needs supporting no matter what activity I’m doing!

The Enell LITE is made of a soft fabric that moves with you AND supports - try doing a shoulder stand with a set of F cups!

Wide straps reduce shoulder fatigue - important when you are doing 60mins+ of Yoga.

I love the back of the Enell LITE. It has these built in cross-straps that help enhance posture and seriously help me keep my yoga “posture”.

80% of support comes from a sports bras band so the Enell LITEs wide band provides a secure fit that also moves with your body - I know I’ve mention this 'whole move with the body thing' before, but oh so important for Yoga.

So what is Serena’s favourite sports bra? The Shift has a support factor rating of 4, to reduce breast bounce by up to 60%. Designed for a range of high impact activities, it's perfect for playing basketball, netball and, of course, tennis.

Women are prepared to spend big on running shoes and other sports gear, but what about sports bras? An Ipsos survey found that these are only fourth in priority for women.

For 80% of women, it’s all about the shoes, Then come tights, crops and shorts (64%), shirts and tank tops (56%)… And finally, 4th in line, a good sports bra (51%).

And yet, running can be just as tough on your breasts as on your feet – breast movement increases up to 15 cm while running.

A study conducted by the Portsmouth Research Group in Breast Health showed that, while most women experience breast pain when running (whatever their cup size may be), 44% of them don’t do anything to alleviate their pain… whereas a good sports bra could transform their routine.

They’re designed with wider straps and supportive cups to reduce the bounce impact to your breasts. Many of these styles offer maximum control, but are also available for low impact activities.

The fabric is also important and technology has come a long way enabling companies to include reinforcing to drastically reduce bounce while wicking away moisture.

Sports bra construction fall into three categories:

Encapsulation sports bras: these bras use individual cups to surround and support each breast separately. There is no compression in these bras (most everyday bras are encapsulation bras) making them generally best for low-impact activities. Encapsulation bras provide a more natural shape than compression bras.

Compression sports bras: these bras compress the breasts against the chest wall to restrict movement. They do not have cups built into the design.

Compression/encapsulation sports bras: many sports bras combine the above methods into a supportive and comfortable style. These bras offer more support than compression or encapsulation alone, making them generally best for high-impact activities.

The Shefit sports bra is the later while the Enell High Impact sports bra is a compression style. I’ve read that women with larger busts should stay away from pure compression styles however, I still prefer the Enell when running long distances and I’m a F cup! It comes down to what works for you.

I’m a woman of only average self-esteem, but I’ve got to say, when I caught a glimpse

of myself in the Berlei extreme high-impact sports bra, even I had to say, “Daaaamn.”

Not only did it hold my boobs in place during an intense spin class, but it also made them look amazing (which has literally never happened for me in a sports bra before).

There was just enough cleavage, and my chest was propped up and stuffed in, as if I had gotten some sort of momentary nonsurgical boob-lift.

Too bad my spin class was mostly full of women and gay men; otherwise, I may have felt confident enough to actually flirt with a dude after class.

Also, Serena Williams is the ambassador for this brand, and I would probably buy nearly anything she told me to as I worship her. Despite my bias, I genuinely love this bra — and would definitely wear it even if a picture of one of the greatest athletes of all time wasn’t on the tag.

Are you guilty of wearing your normal every day bra? Golf, after all, is a sport, and like any form of exercise can cause damage to the fatty tissue that makes up the breast. Because of this, once it's damaged or stretched, exercise cannot help the breast to regain its original firmness and condition.

Sports scientist, Dr Joanna Scurr from the University of Portsmouth, discovered that a supporting sports bra will prevent 'bouncing' and therefore stretching of the sensitive breast tissue by 74% compared to just 38% from a normal bra.

The ENELL LITE sport bra is ideal for golf. It's made from high-performance, breathable microfibre that transports moisture away from the body, keeping you dry and comfortable. The flat, seamless cups provide firm support for the bust – even in larger sizes – and moulds to the body's contours so that it doesn't interfere with your swing.

The ENELL LITE sports bra is priced at NZD$106.95 and and available in black, white, ecru and pink colours, Cups A-G and beyond, they even do custom sizes. Stockist: sportsbra.co.nz with free delivery in NZ and Australia

Consider the following when buying a sports bra for Golf:

If the bra binds your breasts, that’s a good thing as long as you can still breathe! It helps in your swing and comfort. Just be sure that it doesn’t bind your neck. This type will get very uncomfortable after a few holes.

Buy only solid colors. The others may look prettier but under a white shirt – bad idea.

Look at the back design of your sports bra. A criss cross pattern works well but be careful of how close the straps are to your neck. If the straps cut too close, the strap will most likely not be covered by your shirt. Another bad idea!

Some sports bras are cut lower at the underarm which really help prevent any rubbing and rashes.

Ashley Graham just found the sports bra of her dreams and she wants the world to know about it.

The "size sexy" model, like many women with a fuller bust, knows very well the struggle of keeping the girls in place during a workout. And since the 29-year-old has been posting a lot of her training routines on Snapchat and Instagram lately, it was only a matter of time till the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Edition cover girl shared with us the one piece of gear she currently loving to keep her best assets in place.

"Too all of my big breasted ladies out there who love to workout and can't find a bra, it's all about the Enell! These girls are not going anywhere! No way!" Ashley says while shaking what her mama gave her in Enell's LITE sports bra, which, according to the brand, is the "ideal blend of flex and stability needed for everyday fitness."

She captioned the video, which currently has over 315,000 views, "@enellsportsbras #notanad #curvyfit #enell."

And her fans loved the recommendation.

"I feel like we can trust Ashley and I like that material," one user wrote.

"Thank you so much for the jiggle review! Literally get so frustrated when every bra is in a B or C. Can't wait to pick one up before my next run!" another wrote.

Sara Moylan, creator and founder of ShefitSpouse: Robert Moylan, also works at Shefit ("We don't really have official titles around here; if you were to put our titles underneath our names, it would be a very, very long list.")Kids: Jada, 11; Lauren, 8; Teegan, 6, and Vivia, 3

Why is the Shefit bra special?Because we have patented and unlimited adjustability in the shoulder strap and in the bust band, the wearer can basically set her own level of support and customize her own fit. You also get compression with encapsulation, which gives you separation, so you don't get the uniboob. Our bra also zippers in the front. Zippers are not new, but the nice thing is that a zipper bra is really easy to get on and off, which is good if you have mobility issues or have had different kinds of surgeries. But in general it's nice when you can just unzip a bra because a sports bra can be really hard to get off when you're sweaty. As you go up and down in size—whether it's a weight change, you're growing with pregnancy or you're breastfeeding and you go up and down in size depending on when your milk is in—you can make adjustments. And you can undo the front straps and pull the front part down, so you can breastfeed too.

What's the importance of wearing the right bra?When your breasts are lifted and in the position that you want them to be, your posture is better, you walk better, you look like you've lost a little bit of weight. We want women of all ages, all sizes and all athletic levels to feel empowered, strong and confident. When you put on the right bra, you feel like you can accomplish anything.

Where did you get the idea for Shefit?I never had any intention of starting a business. I was trying to solve my own problem. I was wearing two and three sports bras at a time. It was super uncomfortable, and I couldn't get the adjustability I wanted. I found myself pulling the excess where the straps were around my neck and securing it with a rubber band, and I did the same thing around the back where the rib band was. I looked funny and was completely self-conscious. Plus, I was in a lot of pain. Eventually, I took a couple of very-adjustable bras and cut them up—I'm not a sewer so I used a needle and thread and hot glue for everything. I made my own contraption and wore it, and it was still better than anything else I'd ever tried. I took it to the local seamstress and asked her to make me something similar, and I wore that prototype for years. Finally, it dawned on me that other women had the same problem.

What made you realise this could be a business?Every single time I got in my car and left the gym—or just went anywhere—I saw other women running, and they were just bouncing uncontrollably. That's when I just knew I had to do something. In 2011, while I was still working in pharmaceutical sales, I started working with a local seamstress out of Bay City who does dance-recital costumes, and I drove two hours a few times a week for three years just to work on my patterns. I made the bras and handed them out to friends and family and got feedback.

What was the hardest part of the development process?Still, to this day, one of the biggest hurdles is manufacturing. It's not like a typical bra, so it's hard to find someone to manufacture it in the United States. Manufacturers that were interested in it wanted us to change everything about it that made it different.

How did you find your funding?We launched a Kickstarter campaign in 2013. We met half of our goal in the first few days of launching the campaign.

Your first big break?The Doctors mentioned us, and one of Weight Watchers's online editors tweeted it, and we sold out of our first product quite fast—we had people waiting months and months to get it. That actually put us off to a slow start. The whole last year has been sort of a soft launch for us. In July of this year, we were featured on the Today show, and our product just came in—thousands of units, finally. After being featured, we've picked up 17 NCAA accounts, and about 20 new retailers are going to put us in their stores.

You have four daughters. Do they help in the business at all?We say our global headquarters is our unfinished basement. It's very efficient. The girls bag and tag and help with shipping. We try to have them participate as much as they can. They're still young, but I think as a mom it's important to show them how to be passionate and driven in everything that you do. I'm porud that we try to have our daughters see all aspects of the business that we possibly so we can set some good examples for them and hopefully raise businesswomen.

What's on the horizon for Shefit?We have a lot of work cut out for us to make the impact I know our company can have on women. We're all about supporting them and trying to be relevant in the way that no one else is talking to them. What's at our core is understanding the essence of a woman. We want to touch the younger girls too, the ones who are body-image conscious because they're a bit more developed and it's holding them back from trying out for the soccer team. Everybody starts with one product, and this is our flagship product. We hope to take this patented adjustability and parlay that into a plethora of different styles of bras.

Kelly Roberts - I totally agree about the stuff you say to yourself being worse than what others say. Check out her blog at www.runselfierepeat.com

When you look in the mirror, are you proud of what you see?

I, like so many others, struggled my entire life with my weight and body image. It started in elementary school when I was made aware of the fact that I didn’t have the same body type as my athletic friends. Sometimes I would get called hippo and as a 10-year-old girl, I drew a circle around the fact that my weight made me feel like something was wrong with me. The obsession continued through middle school and high school where I tried every fad diet possible from 700 calorie diets, diet pills, to not eating at all. Despite my efforts, regardless of what I weighed, I was incapable of seeing what other people saw. I only saw what I thought were flaws and imperfections.

Alisa Higgins is passionate about being active and equally passionate about being able to participate in her chosen sports comfortably. However, for as long as she can remember, she has battled with the ‘big boobs’ dilemma.

A devotee of jogging, she tried multiple sports bras, even wearing two at a time, in an effort to keep the ‘jiggle’ to a minimum.

When her bust size increased to a 32F she became serious about the bra business – and ended up starting her own, sportsbra.co.nz. Aimed at providing Kiwi women with a solution to wayward chests, she researches, tests and sources sports bras to work for the many body shapes and sizes out there.

Would I recommend to my best friend: If she was needing extra support, yes. It works!

Rating: 4.5/5

*Disclaimer: I received the BuBand to test and review. I was not asked to publish a positive review in exchange, only to post a review of my experience with the band. There was no financial profit for this review. At OWA, our aim is to only publish reviews on gear that, after we have tested, we feel would be beneficial to women outdoors.

IntroI bent over my shoes, pretending to double knot my laces, while I waited for the group of college freshmen girls to pass me on the track.

“Alright, let’s see if my body remembers how to do this,” I thought.

Three weeks postpartum, my body was beginning to resemble its pre-pregnancy form. Well, except for two major changes (or one, if you count those two as a pair). Before pregnancy — to use climbing terminology — if most girls have “jugs,” I had “slopers.”

Nursing my baby, however, changed my body in a big, big way.

I knew returning to running was going to feel intimidating, but I had to start somewhere. Feeling uncomfortable and self conscious, I struggled to finish that first lap around the track, and because of the changes my body had undergone, I suddenly understood why there are countless versions of sport bras on the market: Wearing proper support up there when doing a physical activity really matters.

In my quest to find that adequate support, I came across the BuBand, “An athletic band to prevent breast bounce.” The elastic band, made of breathable material, stretches snugly across the top of the breasts, fastening similar to the way a bra would. The video about the BuBand sold me.

Testing groundsAfter trying to work on my stride on a smooth track, I knew I needed the solitude of the trail. I needed to be able to focus only on my movements, and to learn how to feel comfortable in my own skin again.

“Here it goes,” I said to Oliver (my dog), as we started down Utah’s Bonneville shoreline trail.

With the band on, everything felt tighter, more contained. Instead of feeling self-conscious and awkward, I could focus on finding my stride. Forty-five minutes later, I arrived back at the car.

Success! The support from the BuBand allowed me to move freely without feeling constricted or uncomfortable.

FitI found the fit guide on the BuBand website to be accurate. Although putting on the band is simple, the website has photographs demonstrating the proper fit in case of any confusion.

Wearing the BuBand was more straightforward than I imagined. The fit was easy. Initially, wearing the elastic band so high on my chest felt unnatural. I wondered if the snug fit would feel restrictive while heaving up steep sections of the trail. However, by the time I reached the trailhead I had more or less forgotten I was wearing it.

Although the level of support the BuBand provides may be unnecessary for some women, I would absolutely recommend the BuBand to anybody who hasn’t found a bra with adequate support.

Pros

It truly works to eliminate breast bounce.

The online fit guide was accurate and helped me attain the proper fit.

The band was easy to put on over a bra.

Cons

Although the design is sleek, I still felt a little self conscious about how everything was squooshed under it.

SummaryIf the most supportive sport bras on the market aren’t adequate, the BuBand might be your perfect solution. The BuBand truly works to eliminate bounce without feeling uncomfortable or constricting.

Being the sports bra of choice by the England Netball team I of course just HAD to try one of these bras. I already own the original Freya Active which works fairly well for me, and so this looked to be the next step up in terms of shape, support and appearance. And as I’ve recently starting running several times per week I knew that I would be able to give this bra the perfect workout.

I generally take size 34HH in Freya, but as this bra stops at an H and my previous Freya sports bra had come up snug in the band, I decided to go for a 36H.

After trying it on it became clear that a 34HH would have been a better fit. I felt the need to put the bra straight on the tightest hook to ensure a snug fit. This is not a huge issue right now, but once the bra starts to stretch out the band will become looser and I won’t have any smaller hooks to fasten it on. However, as I would be running in the bra, this was a far tighter fit than I would take in a day to day bra.

The back band of the bra has a whopping FOUR hooks and eyes and the padded straps are semi adjustable. This is due to the fact that halfway up the straps there is the option to make the straps into a crossover.

I absolutely adore this feature as this gives my bust extra support and also stops that annoying issue of the straps sliding off my shoulders during a run. I did find it a little tricky to do up on my own and that was almost a workout in itself.

I found that the cups were spot on, however, due the the size of my bust, the compression and the cut of the bra I did have a little boobspolosion over the top. I think that a size up would have the same effect AND my bust would have moved around more in the cups. A higher cut would probably be the best solution to prevent this issue, but it didn’t effect the movement of my bust as it was.

I was impressed at the lack of bounce the sports bra provided, along with the rounded nipples free shape – a must in this weather! I have used this bra for several runs and one ’30 Day Shred’, and although I am not the most energetic of people, those two activities are probably the ‘bounciest’ that I will partake in.

Overall I am extremely pleased with this bra. I do believe that it has lived up to the hype and I will be interested to see what others have to say about it. It is similar to the Panache sports bra which also stops at an H and a 40 back, and so I really hope that after the first bout of feedback from their customers Freya will decide increase the cup sizes on this. There are so many H+ and 40+ women who would kill for a moulded sports bra like this one, and Freya would really be doing something special if they are able to engineer products that will cater to these women.

Phone calls to the Havre, Mont.-based ENELL Inc. drew a steady “busy” signal last month. That was good news for the sports-bra company that drew rave reviews from Oprah Winfrey.

When the call finally rang through, Renelle Braaten, president and founder of ENELL, had barely a moment to speak.

“Can I call you next week?” she asked. “We’re just trying to do damage control.”

The “damage control” was actually a frantic flurry of activity, the fallout from Oprah’s enthusiastic endorsement during her “Lose Weight With Oprah” episode broadcast in mid-May. The segment gave a staggering boost to a business that had been thriving even prior to the broadcast.

“We’ve been growing more and more,” Braaten said. “But nothing like when Oprah hit. Now it’s ‘Oh my God!’ “

In the weeks since Oprah plugged ENELL, Braaten has had to hire additional employees to answer the phone. Down in Puerto Rico, where most of the bras are manufactured, they’re scrambling to train more seamstresses.

“Now the retailers who wouldn’t return our calls are begging us for our product,” she said.

Almost as soon as the show aired, the phones started ringing. Virtually overnight, Braaten figures, they were six to seven months backordered.

So what’s all the fuss about? And why did Oprah include ENELL Sports Bra on her “must have” list? According to those in the know, it’s the best sports bra, hands down, particularly for full-figured women.

“Nothing touches ENELL for serious activity,” said Linda Cetrone Levy, co-owner of TLC Lingerie in Billings. “It’s one of those products: What they say about it, it’s true.”

Besides selling ENELL Sports Bras, Cetrone Levy wears one when she exercises. And she swears by it.

“For aerobic exercise, ENELL is simply the best bra,” she said.

The no-bounce bra, made of Naturexx, a high-performance fabric that wicks moisture away while providing strength and garment life, features a front closure and wide straps. It’s so effective that some insurance companies will cover the cost of the bra when a physician prescribes it for patients recovering from breast surgery.

For Braaten, ENELL Sports Bras is more than a business. It’s a necessity. The longtime resident of the small town of Havre, who worked as a barber for 30 years and also happens to be an avid volleyball player, couldn’t find a sports bra that offered the support she needed.

She turned to her mother, a skilled seamstress, to come up with a solution. The first prototype was a conglomerate of odd pieces of elastic and fabric pulled from her mother’s sewing basket.

“It worked. I used it,” Braaten said.

Thus was born the ENELL Sports Bra. Over time, Braaten made connections that guided her through the process of building her business. A friend’s father helped her get a patent. A Bozeman firm offered advice for naming the company — she dropped the first and last letters from her first name to coin “ENELL.” A Portland designer “dressed up” the bra with a few finishing touches.

Undoubtedly her best decision was getting in touch with Oprah. But the link was certainly no gimme.

“I knew she obviously needed one (ENELL bra),” Braaten said, laughing. “I saw her on the treadmill on her program.”

Braaten’s attempts to contact Oprah and her trainer, however, proved fruitless. Eventually, Braaten reached Kathy Kaehler, the “Today” show’s fitness consultant. Kaehler, who was training actress Drew Barrymore for her role in “Charlie’s Angels,” tipped off Barrymore to the benefits of the ENELL Sports Bra. By way of a circuitous route of Hollywood connections, word finally reached Oprah, who has sworn by the bra since first using it.

In the several years since, Oprah has included the ENELL Sports Bra on her “O List” and in the “Love That” section of her “O” Magazine. But the May promotion — less than two minutes long — was the clincher.

“She said what she needed to say, exactly as she needed to say it,” Braaten said. “Nobody listens to E.F. Hutton anymore. They listen to Oprah.”

So I was digging through my exercise clothing drawer (okay – it’s actually four drawers!) and trying to organize things. I’ve weighed between 125 – 165 pounds in the last year, and I own a ton of gear in a wide range of sizes. Every time I get dressed for a workout, I end up digging through the drawers to find that ONE CLEAN SHIRT that fits or the ONE CLEAN SHORTS that don’t fall down and don’t pinch my waist. Ya know?

Anyway – in the back of a drawer, I stumbled upon my Enell sports bra, which I bought after I gave birth to Henry and kind of forgot about. I am SO GLAD that I rediscovered this bra because I’ve been wearing it to death and really want to spread the word about how awesome it is.

But first, check out the back:

And let’s acknowledge the obvious – this bra is UGLY AS ALL HELL. Super, super ugly. But it’s an amazing bra in terms of comfort and bounce control.

As you can see in the first picture, it has eye-and-hook clasps that go up the front, and the back is a large, solid panel. The top goes up so high that it covers the entire breast, reducing “spillover” – no quad-boobs. I have some decent sports bra that basically control ‘bottom bounce’ but don’t accommodate for spillover – thus you still bounce around a lot. The other nice thing about the front is that the bra almost totally eliminates cleavage, so if you wear it to spin class or yoga, there’s a larger degree of modesty than normal bras.

I have a pretty large chest when breastfeeding, and that plus the realities of milk production make it downright painful to run in a non-supportive bra. With this bra, there is almost no pain because there is virtually zero breast movement.

I actually JUST ordered another Enell in a slightly larger size; this one squeezes my ribcage a bit at my current weight and makes it a tad hard to breathe when I run. I want to lose those last 12 pounds, but I refuse to feel uncomfortable in the meantime, whether it’s in regular clothes or workout clothes – so I can’t wait to get the bigger size in the mail! Enell uses a different sizing system, but the bra is specifically designed for women with larger chests (C cup or above) or larger clothing sizes, so it fits women with busts from 32 inches to 60 inches and ribcages from 27 inches to 53 inches.

Women’s Running in the UK tries out the running accessory designed to reduce breast bounce for good.

When we first heard about the Būband – a product designed specifically for women who find their sport bras don’t provide them adequate support – we were keen to find out more and give it a test run.

As a female runner, you’ll often be told that the most important piece of running kit you can own, aside from your running shoes, is your sports bra. It’s vital for your running comfort and also for protecting your breasts. But what if it isn’t doing the job sufficiently? A study of 1,400 female marathon runners, published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine, found that almost two-thirds suffered breast pain while running, despite the fact that 90 per cent were wearing a sports bra.

For Canadian runner Lynne Koziey, she had this exact problem. Tired of having to wear two sports bras every time she went out running, after finding that no bra seemed to offer her the support she required, she decided to launch the Būband.

Designed with larger-breasted runners in mind, the band is worn in addition to your sports bra. It is put on around the waist via a hook-and-eye closure and is moved upwards to sit over the top of the sports bra, holding the breasts securely in place. It’s covered in soft, high-performance fabric, is breathable and designed to offer a chafe-free fit.

The design of the band was based on research by the University of Portsmouth, which highlighted where breast support is most needed. Researchers found that if the breasts are not properly supported across their mid and upper parts – precisely where the Būband is designed to be worn – women risk irreparably damaging the Cooper’s ligaments. These ligaments, which form the internal structures of the breast, are largely responsible for preventing breast sagging and, when unsupported, can cause breast pain.

What did we think?

As a concept, we must admit, we were skeptical. If your sports bra isn’t adequately supportive when you run, it isn’t fitting correctly. We would advise you seek out a sports bra specialist, such as LessBounce, and follow its specific sizing guides to ensure you get the right size for you.

However, if you find you want extra stability – in addition to your correctly fitting sports bra – the Būband will almost certainly do the job, and is of particular value for larger-breasted runners.

Our commercial editor, Angelina Manzano, who tested the band, said:

“As someone with a D-cup, even a good sports bra can struggle with my cleavage but, after trying the Būband on my weekly club run, I definitely noticed a reduction in the bounce and discomfort that I would normally experience. However I did find it a little restrictive even though the fit was right, so probably not what you’d want if you’re chasing a PB, though it would be good for giving extra support in high-energy fitness classes.”

The Būband comes in five adjustable sizes from XS to XL and is sold online at www.sportsbra.co.nz

It's that time of year when we decide what changes we want to see in the New Year. Whether it's fitness goals, healthy goals or personal achievements, we all seem to have a strong beginning, but then somehow life gets in the way and our goals get further and further away. Let this be the year you follow through with those resolutions from start to finish! Here's 5 tips to help you stick to your goals.

Get Social with Your Goals

Write down each goal on a sticky note, white board, diary, iCal, etc. the more places you see it, the more likely it is to stay on your mind. Give yourself alerts on your phone, and tell your family and friends too so they can offer extra support. The more people you get onboard, the more reminders you'll have to stick to them. Try to get someone to join you on your quest too! Having a buddy is always helpful and you'll both work to motivate each other.

Clearly Defined Goals

Make your goals SMART; specific, measurable, achievable, realistic and time based. Telling yourself that you're going to get in shape is vague and you'll find yourself asking what it actually means. Try making it more specific, like reaching a percentage of body fat, be able to run so many miles, run your first marathon. Set specific goals and give yourself a timeline to reach them, Like, 3 weeks to be able to run 3 miles without stopping, give yourself until the end of the month to do 50 push ups! And make sure you track your success. Keep a journal and track what exercises you do, how you felt after and set goals and targets for each week to achieve your end goal.

Have Patience

You may be working your butt off to achieve your goals, but always remember that these changes won't happen overnight. It takes time for change to happen, but don't let that deter you away from your goals. Each week you will see progress, even if it is small, like maybe walking up a hill won't leave you as out of breath like it did last time. Small changes lead to big changes, so don't be too hard on yourself.

Put it in Your Schedule

No excuses, if you really want it to happen, make the time! Create a schedule for yourself and stick to it. If you're worried about spending too much money, create a budget for yourself to make sure you stick to it. Get your family and friends involved so they can give you some extra motivation if you're not feeling your gym session one day. Let your new schedule become a routine!

Don't Beat Yourself Up

Don't worry if you decided to have that extra brownie! No one is perfect, so if you missed that gym workout for a week because you were busy, or ill it's ok. We all have ups and downs so don't be hard on yourself. Allow yourself a treat or a rest but make sure you keep those goals on your mind and get back on your plan.